Aeroplane construction



Feb. 11, 1930. GREGOR 1,747,001

AEROPLANE CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 16, 1928 T 37 I INVENTOR 64 41 I 28 44SI 30 26-? 55 I NE- Patented Feb. 11, 1930 PATENT OFFICE MICHAEL GREGOR,OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AEROPLANE CONSTRUCTION Application filed January 16, 1928.

This invention relates to aeronautics, more patricularly to aeroplaneconstruction and safety control therefor.

My invention generally relates to aeroplane construction and controlmechanism therefor useful in stabilizing the aeroplane by auxiliarysurfaces in the nature of ailerons and contemplates the provision ofcontrol means for the stabilizing surfaces which may be employed as anautomatic safeguard to prevent lack of control or conditions which mayresult in a tail spin, at stalling speeds and wherethe angle ofincidence is so great that control would ordinarily be lost and themachine thrown into a tail spin and become uncontrolled due toautogyration.

\Vhere I have attempted to use the customary stabilizing means, such asailerons, I have found with the larger angles of incidence, at stallingspeeds, lifting by use of the ailerons to stabilize by increasing theangle of incidence of the aileron at the lower level results in anopposite effect and the main plane surfaces will be drawn downwardly,

causing side slipping, with fair chance to get into a tail spin andautogyration.

My invention, therefore, has for an object thereof the provision ofstabilizing means for the main wing surfaces and operating meanstherefor which will simply and efficiently serve to bring within controlthe aeroplane when the main wing surfaces are positioned at the higherangles of incidence and at stalling speeds; the provision of aeroplaneconstruction including stabilizing means and operating means for saidstabilizing means, which will serve as a safety measure when conditionsare obtained whereby the aeroplane would become stalled and out ofcontrol; the provision of aeroplane construction including incombination with the main wing sections of auxiliary sectionssubstantially coincident with the main plane section, serving in thenature of ailerons for stabilizing and operating means for saidauxiliary sections, the operating means including release mechanism forautomatically decreasing the angle of incidence of the auxiliary sectionwhen the main plane surfaces or wings are 0 positioned at the largerangles of incidence Serial No. 246,935.

where, under ordinary conditions, the machine would become stalled andout of control, to overcome the negative lifting effect of an aileronpositioned at a lower level. The invention contemplates, in itspreferred embodiment, the combination with the main wing surfaces ofauxiliary sections substantially coincident therewith and of the same orany other cross section, laterally pivotally mounted and operatingcontrols therefor, to overcome the varying air currents and stabilizethe main wings, particularly when the main plane surfaces are positionedat angles of incidence beyond which the machine would become stalled andout of control, the

, control means including an automatic release of the auxiliary planesections to change the angle of incidence arranged for lifting and theoppositely disposed auxiliary plane section arranged at an inverse angleso that they may be submitted to the normal velocity to dispose them atan even heel and thereby stabilize the main wing sections.

The invention still further has for an object thereofthe provision of a,stabilizing means for the main wing surfaces of aeroplanes in the natureof auxiliary wing sections and operating mechanism therefor, theoperating mechanism including means to change the angle of incidence ofthe auxiliary sections on opposite sides of the main wings toautomatically position one auxiliary section to an angle for lifting andthe opposite auxiliary section, to an inverse angle thereto forstabilizing purposes and further includes means to automatically releasethe auxiliary wing sections to angles at which the turning moments uponthe main surfaces neutralize each other when the main surfaces or wingsassume an angle of incidence at which they would normally become stalledor out of control.

The invention further contemplates simple, etficient and inexpensivestabilizing means for aeroplanes and automatic means for bringing theaeroplane under control at stalling speeds of the aeroplane.

To attain these objects and such further objects as may appear herein,or be hereincompanying drawing forming a part hereof, in which Figure 1is a perspective view illustrating my device;

Figure 2 is an enlarged view, in side elevation, of a detail taken on aline 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section taken on a line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view taken on a line-44 of Figure 2.

Making reference to the drawing, I have illustrated my device inconnection with a monoplane type of aeroplane, by way of example, inwhich the aeroplane 10 has a main wing section 11. Disposed to oppositeends of the main wing section there is provided auxiliary sections 12and 13 of any or the same cross section as the main wing section andpivotally mounted at their frontal portion upon a shaft 14, extendingalong a portion of the length of the main wing section. Each of saidauxiliary wing sections, 12 and 13, respectively, has an operating lever15 and 16 disposed in the edges 17 and 18 extending below and above theauxiliary wing sections and provided at their ends with at-.

taching eyelets 19 and 20 on the member 15 and eyelets 21 and 22 on themember 16. It will be observed that rocking movement or tension on theoperating levers 15 and 16 will serve to pivotally move the auxiliaryplane sections 12 and 13 above or below the main plane section 11, froma point coincident with the main plane section 14. For imparting thismovement, I provide an operating mechanism comprising an operating shaft23 provided with the stick 24. The opposite end of the shaft 23 ismaintained in the bearing 25. The opposite end of'the shaft 23 hasmounted thereon the spider 26 comprising spaced plates 27 and 28. Theends of the plates 27 and 28 have mounted at their upper ends 29 and 30and their lower ends 31 and 32, the subshafts 33 and 34, serving tospace the plates and held against displacement by the nuts 35.

Loosely mounted upon the shaft 33 I provide sprocket wheels 36 and 37.Upon the lower shaft 34 I provide, also loosely mounted, sprocket wheels38 and 39. The sprocket wheels 36 and 37 are provided with bosse 40 and41, respectively, which are formed with teeth 42. Mounted at the upperportion of the plates 27 and 28, respectively, there are provided spacedlugs 43 between which are pivotally mounted the bell crank shaped pawls44, extending through the orifices 45 to engage the teeth 42, serving tohold the sprocket wheels 36 and 37 locked in said spider. The free ends46 and 47 of the pawls 44 are provided with eyelets 48 and 49.Upstanding lugs 50 and 51 have bolts 52 and 53 passed therethrough andprovided with springs 54 and 55 to resiliently urge the pawls inengagement with the teeth 42, as previously described. For disengagingthe pawls 44 and unlocking the sprocket wheels 36 and 37, the free endsof the pawls 46 and 47 are each respectively attached to the sleeve 56and the wire 57 of a Bowden cable, the wire being attached to the end ofthe sprocket 47 by passing through .the orifice 58, runninglongitudinally through the center of the shaft 33. The wire isthereafter connected to the end 47 by a suitable bolt 59. The oppositeend of the Bowden cable 60 is provided with an operating lever 61, heldin fixed engagement by the arcuate ratchet 62 and the pawl 63. Inoperation, a sprocket wheel chain 64 is passed over the sprocket wheel36, then diagonally downwards to be directed in the opposite directionover the sprocket wheel 38. The opposite ends of the chain 65 and 66have attached thereto cables 67 and 68. The portion 67 is passed overthe guiding pulley 69 and is thereafter attached to the lever 15 at theeyelet 20, at the upper surface of the wing. The portion of the cable 68passes over the guiding pulley 70 and is attached to the operating lever16 at the lower eyelet 21. Additionally, a sprocket chain 71 passes overthe sprocket wheel 39, then diagonally upwards over the sprocket wheel37. The sprocket chain 71 hasits ends 72 and 73, respectively,providedwith cables 74 and 75.

The portion of the cable 74 passes over the lower guiding pulley 76 andis attached to the lower end of the operating lever 15 at the eyelet'19. The opposite portion of the cable 75.passes over the upper guidingpulley 77 and is attached to the operating lever 16 at the eyelet 22.

It will be observed that the portions of the cables 67 and 68 aredirected to the opposite auxiliary wing sections -to operate the members15 and 16 at the top and bottom eyelets 20 and 21, respectively. Theportions of the cable 74 and are disposed to operate the lovers 15 and16 at the bottom and top eyelets 19 and 22, respectively. With thespider and the operating stick 24 vertically disposed and at rightangles to the main wing section, the auxiliary sections 22 and 23 areplaced coincident with the main wing section 11. The sprocket chain 64and the cables 67 and 68 are drawn taut. The sprocket chain 71 and thecables 74 and 75 are thereafter also tautly drawn to rigidly dispose theauxiliary wing sections 12 and 13 in the position aforementioned.

It will be observed that with the auxiliary wing sections as shown, thestick 24 has been moved from the position shown in dotted lines to theleft. The spider 26 will then have fed a portion of the sprocket chain64 to increase the length of the continuous member formed by thesprocket chain 64 and the cables 67 and 68. The lower ends of the spiderwill serve to draw in the ends of the sprocket chain 72 and 7 3, therebydrawing with it the cables 74 and 75, to dispose the auxiliary wingsections in opposite directions, the auxiliary wing section 12 beingdisposed above the plane of the main wing section and the auxiliary wingsection 13 being disposed below the plane of the main wing section. Inthis manner, the device may be used for stabilizing the aeroplaneagainst varient currents, in a manner well known. With the aeroplane andits auxiliary wing sections 12 and 13 in the position as shown, the mainplane section will be banked with the auxiliary section 13 at the upperlevel and the auxiliary section 12 at the lower level. Should theaviator be climbing at that moment so that the main plane section isdisposed at ahigh angle of incidence, and at stalling speed, anytendency to increase the lift and stabilize the aeroplane'may, due tothe configuration of the wing sections, normally cause no, or even anopposite effect. At this point, to pre vent losing control, release ofthe Bowden cable to disengage the pawls 44 will permit the auxiliarywing sections 12 and 13, to automatically equalize each other as thespider26 will no longer serve to maintain the sprocket chains 64 and 65in locked engagement. The cables will ride over the sprocket wheels dueto the wind pressure on the auxiliary sections 12 and 13, tending todispose them in about a horizontal plane, the piv-' otal point of theshaft 14 in respect to the sections 12 and 13 being so disposed as tohave the wind pressure force the sections 12 and 13, even at stallingspeeds, into smaller angles of incidence or nearly the horizontalposition. The effect produced will be to stabilize the entire main wingsurface by an effect tending to resist the turning moment or sideslipping of the main wing surfaces,

' in a measure bringing the 'main wing surfaces to the smaller angles ofincidence. The smaller angles of incidence of the auxiliary sectionswill therefore return their effectiveness, as an aid in stabilizing theturning moment at stalling speeds,as well as reducing the angle ofincidence of the main wing sections to a degree where they may becontrolled. When righted again, the stick may, if desired, be brought tothe vertical position and the Bowden cable control disposed to engagethe pawls 44, with the teeth 42, and again lock the operating spider.

It will be observed that though I have described a chain and sprocket asthe means to engage the sprocket wheels 36 and 37, I may dispense withthis means of engagement and have the cables 67 and 68 and 74 and 75continuous and pass over suitably formed pulley wheels.

It will be further observed that though I have described the cables 67and 68 as engaging the top and bottom eyelets of the levers 15 and 16,respectively, andthe cables 74 and 75, the eyelets 22 and 19 of thelevers 1'6 and 15, respectively, a single cable, preferably with aninterposed sprocket chain, may be run continuously from the eyelets 19to the' eyelet 20 andfrom the eyelet 24 to the eyelet 22, and-disposedacross the pairs of sprocket wheels 36-38, 37- 39, respectively.

It will thus be observed that I have provided a novel stabilizing meansfor aeroplane construction which may be used in .the normal way asailerons but which may automatically be used to bring the plane withincontrol when the main plane surface is disposed at the larger angles ofincidence and at stalling speeds.

It will be further observed that though my operating device for theauxiliary sections is preferably described in combination with auxiliarysectionspivotally mounted on the laterally disposed shaft14,, thisoperating mechanism-may be used in connection with ailerons disposed to.the rear edge of the main plane surface, or at any other position suchas in front of the wing or mid scctionsthereof, and can be used formonoplanes, bi-planes or multiplanes with equal utility, whether a planeof the land type or sea plane. Furthermore, the auxiliary sections maybe modified in cross section form and shape without departing from thespirit and scope of my invention. v

. Having thus described-my invention and illustrated its use, what Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an aeroplane construction, in combination with the main wingsurface,of stabilizing means in the nature of ailerons to each side. ofsaid main wing surface, connectors for said ailerons disposing the samein equali zing relationship, a control member for ad" ustably arrangingsaid ailerons-and means for releasing said connectors from said controlmember to automatically dispose said ailerons to a position having astabilizing ef-' fect independent of the position of the control member,

2. In an aeroplane construction, in combition with the main wing surfaceof stabilizing means in the nature of ailerons, connectors for saidailerons comprising cable members, guiding means for said cablesdisposing said ailerons in equalizing relationship, a control memberconnected with said cables for positively adjustably arranging theailerons ineluding a chain and sprocket connection and means for lockingsaid sprocket and chain in positive engaging relationship whereby saidailerons may be positioned positively and means ,for releasing saidsprockets to automatically disposesaid aileronsto a position having astabilizing effect at stalling speeds independent of the control member.

4. In an aeroplane construction, in combination with the main wingsurface, of stabilizing means in the nature of ailerons to each side ofsaid main wing surface; connectors for said ailerons comprising cablemembers disposing said ailerons in equalizing relationship and includingchain sections engaging revoluble sprocket wheels to provide anangularly positionable cable engaging assembly, locking means for saidsprockets to produce positive stabilizing positioning of said aileronsand means to release said sprockets to automatically release saidailerons to positions having a stabilizing effect at stalling speeds.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 13th day of January,'1928.

MICHAEL GREGOR.

